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Dengzhan Shengmai capsule, as a compound Chinese patent medicine, consists of four herbs: Herba Erigerontis, Ginseng, Ophiopogon, and Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, and contains significant components of flavonoids, lignans, saponins, and organic acids. It is widely used clinically to treat cerebrovascular diseases such as chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and dementia with remarkable efficacy. This study proposes a research strategy for multi-component traditional Chinese medicine metabolites based on prediction databases and unfolds the analysis using Dengzhan Shengmai capsule as an example. Using the UPLC-Q-TOF/MS method, the analytical method was established and detected biological samples such as urine, feces, and bile of rats before and after administration based on the prediction of theoretical metabolites of Dengzhan Shengmai capsule. The possible secondary fragment ion information of metabolites was identified by comparing the detected results with prediction databases. The metabolites were identified based on the archetypal component mass spectrometric cleavage law and multistage mass spectrometric data. 51 metabolites, mainly flavonoid, organic acid, and lignan constituents, were finally identified from rat biosamples based on 306 theoretical metabolites of Dengzhan Shengmai capsule. This study provides a new strategy for the identification of metabolites in vivo and the analysis of metabolic pathways of TCM. The study complied with the procedures established by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and passed the animal experiment ethics examine (No. 00003645).
ABSTRACT
In recent years, the biopharmaceutical industry has grown rapidly, and the market size of monoclonal antibody drugs has increased significantly. Accurate structural characterization and quality control are the supporting technologies for the development of monoclonal antibody drugs. As a significant post-translational modification of antibody drugs, glycosylation has an important influence on its efficacy, stability, and immunogenicity. The existing literature usually uses liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to perform major glycosylation modifications of monoclonal antibody drugs. Characterization, there are few studies on low-abundance glycosylation, but the characterization and control of low-abundance glycosylation cannot be ignored. In this study, we have established a qualitative and quantitative analysis technology for N-glycans based on RapiFluor-MS reagent-labeled monoclonal antibody drugs. This method has a short sample processing time and high sensitivity. It can not only characterize the main glycoforms of three monoclonal antibody drugs (adalimumab, bevacizumab, and trastuzumab) but also can quantify low-abundance N-glycans. The results of the study showed that the main glycoforms specified in the Pharmacopoeia could be detected in different batches of monoclonal antibody drugs, but the content of N-glycans in different batches of samples is not identical. After that, we analyzed the N-glycans connection sites and glycoforms at the intact glycopeptide level, further enriching the N-glycans structure information of the monoclonal antibody. The qualitative and quantitative analysis technology of N-glycans based on RapiFluor-MS reagent-labeled monoclonal antibody drugs can realize the in-depth characterization and control of glycosylation modification of monoclonal antibody drugs.
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Studies have shown that women's menopause caused by permanent cessation of ovarian function is closely related to lipid metabolism disorders. Er-xian Decoction has been used in the clinical treatment for gynecological diseases and has a good effect on diseases related to reduced sex hormone function. In this study, metabolomics was performed on bilateral ovariectomized model rats within 12 weeks after modeling to mimic the physiological state of menopausal women in different menopausal stages and Er-xian Decoction dosed model rats. The results of liver oil red O staining sections showed lipid metabolic disorder of bilateral ovariectomized model rats and the regulating effects of Er-xian Decoction. 46 potential biomarkers (6 steroid hormones, 3 sphingolipids, 11 phospholipids and 26 glycerides) in plasma and 32 potential biomarkers (1 steroid hormones, 20 phospholipids and 11 glycerides) in liver were obtained based on lipidomics analysis. Then, we analyzed the differential metabolic pathways and construct the lipid metabolism network significantly regulated by Er-xian Decoction. The results provided valuable information for in-depth understanding of the gradual changes on lipid metabolism disorders under menopausal conditions and the characteristics and mechanisms of compound Er-xian Decoction's regulatory effects. The study complied with the procedures established by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and passed the animal experiment ethics examine (No. 00000918).
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The research and development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is a rapidly developing field. From the first generation of murine mAbs to the fourth generation of fully human mAbs, the efficacy and safety of mAbs in the treatment of various diseases have been continuously improved. In order to regulate the development and evaluation of mAbs, drug regulatory agencies and pharmacopeias of America and China have tried to issue feasible test procedures and acceptance criteria for quality evaluation of mAbs and biosimilars. Mass spectrometry (MS) technique with high sensitivity, resolution, selectivity, and specificity has become an important tool to evaluate the quality characteristics of monoclonal antibody-related products or specify mAb quality. The research of MS-based monoclonal antibody study involves structure characterization, impurity analysis, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD), etc. This review focuses on the current quality control requirements of mAb related products and the development of MS technique for mAb quality characterization and specification. It is expected to provide information and references for evaluating the quality of monoclonal antibodies under research and development.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Previously, dihydroceramide (d18:0/24:0) (dhCer (d18:0/24:0)) was reported to be a potential biomarker for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) prognosis. In this study, we further explored the role of dhCer (d18:0/24:0) in the progression of ACLF to validate the biomarker using ACLF rat model.@*METHODS@#ACLF rats were sacrificed at 4 and 8 h post-D-galactosamine (D-gal)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration to investigate the liver biochemical markers, prothrombin time and liver histopathology. Change in dhCer and other sphingolipids levels were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Rats were treated with N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4-HPR) to examine the mortality rate and its role in improving ACLF.@*RESULTS@#LPS/D-gal administration resulted in significant elevation in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. Prothrombin time was prolonged and histopathological examination showed abnormality. HPLC-MS/MS results showed total dhCer levels in ACLF group (64.10 ± 8.90 pmol/100 μL, 64.22 ± 6.78 pmol/100 μL for 4 and 8 h, respectively) were decreased significantly compared with control group (121.61 ± 23.09 pmol/100 μL) (P < 0.05). In particular, dhCer (d18:0/24:0), dhCer (d18:0/20:0), and dhCer (d18:0/22:0) levels were decreased. Treatment with 4-HPR significantly increased the levels of dhCers, including dhCer (d18:0/24:0) compared with ACLF group, for the level of dhCer (d18:0/24:0) in 4-HPR group was 20.10 ± 8.60 pmol/100 μL and the level of dhCer (d18:0/24:0) in ACLF group was 9.74 ± 2.99 pmol/100 μL (P < 0.05). This was associated with reduced mortality rate and prolonged survival time. The ALT and AST in 4-HPR group were significantly decreased compared with ACLF group. The prothrombin time of 4-HPR group (41.49 s) was significantly lower than the prothrombin time of ACLF group (57.96 s) (P < 0.05). 4-HPR also decreased plasma ammonia levels slightly, as the plasma ammonia levels in 4-HPR group and ACLF group were 207.37 ± 60.43, 209.15 ± 60.43 μmol/L, respectively. Further, 4-HPR treatment improved histopathological parameters.@*CONCLUSIONS@#DhCer, especially dhCer (d18:0/24:0), is involved in the progression of ACLF. Increasing the levels of dhCer can reduce the mortality rate of ACLF rats and alleviate liver injury.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between tissue distributions of modified Wuzi Yanzong prescription (, MWP) in rats and meridian tropism theory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A high-performance liquid chromatography with Fourier transform-mass spectrometry (HPLC-FT) method was used to identify the metabolites of MWP in different tissues of rats after continued oral administration of MWP for 7 days. The relationship between MWP and meridian tropism theory was studied according to the tissue distributions of the metabolites of MWP in rats and the relevant literature.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Nineteen metabolites, mainly flavanoid compounds, were detected in the different rat tissues and classified to each herb in MWP. Further, it was able to establish that the tissue distributions of the metabolites of MWP were consistent with the descriptions of meridian tropism of MWP available in literature, this result might be useful in clarifying the mechanism of MWP on meridian tropism. In the long run, these data might provide scientific evidence of the meridian tropism theory to further promote the reasonable, effective utilization, and modernization of Chinese medicine.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The tissue distributions of MWP in vivo were consistent with the descriptions of meridian tropism of MWP.</p>
ABSTRACT
Tripterygium glycosides tablets (TGT) have good immunosuppressive activity, but they can also significantly injure the liver and kidney and its mechanism is unclear. In this study, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) Balb/c mouse were administrated with different doses of TGT. Then the changes of sphingolipids levels in live, kidney and plasma as well as the mRNA expression levels of their metabolic enzymes were studied by the integrated targeted sphingolipidomics and transcriptomics methods to reveal the mechanism of efficacy and toxicity of TGT. It was found that low dose of TGT could significantly decrease levels of total ceramide in the plasma, long chain sphingolipids and saturate sphingolipids in the liver and kidney, but increase them in the plasma, which were related to the efficacy mechanism of TGT. High dose of TGT can significantly increase levels of total ceramide, Cer(d18:1/18:0)-1-P, long chain sphingolipids and decrease saturation sphingolipids mechanism. TGT can also cause significant changes of mRNA expression levels of various sphingolipid metabolic enzymes in the liver and kidney, which were correspond to the changes of sphingolipid levels. The efficacy and toxicity of TGT were related to the regulation of these key enzyme expression levels. In conclusion, the efficacy and toxic mechanism of TGT were closely related to the sphingolipids metabolism. A variety of potential biomarkers were found and they can provide valuable information for the evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of TGT.
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With development of bio-technique, more and more proteins were applied as clinical approaches. However, the protein homogeneity, especially the N-glycosylation limited the further research and application of these protein drugs. The analysis method for N-glycans is believed to be critical in protein drugs development. To enhance the N-glycans isolation efficiency and accelerate the pretreatment, a new strategy was built on ultrafiltration-devices. New methods increased the isolation efficiency of N-glycans containing N-acetylglucosa mine with 10%-20%. The degrading of N-glycans containing sialic acids was also minimized with this method. 20%-100% more N-glycans with sialic acids were isolated. The pretreatment was finished within 30 min. Coupled with HPLC-HRMS, an effective and reliable strategy designed for protein drugs N-glycans analysis were developed.
Subject(s)
Glycoproteins , Chemistry , Glycosylation , Polysaccharides , Chemistry , UltrafiltrationABSTRACT
Sphingolipids, especially ceramide and S1P, are structural components of biological membranes and bioactive molecules which participate in diverse cellular activities such as cell division, differentiation, gene expression and apoptosis. Emerging evidence demonstrates the role of sphingolipids in hepatocellular death, which contributes to the progression of several liver diseases including ischaemia-reperfusion liver injury, steatohepatitis or hepatocarcinogenesis. Furthermore, some data indicate that the accumulation of some sphingolipids contributes to the hepatic dysfunctions. Hence, understanding of sphingolipid may open up a novel therapeutic avenue to liver diseases. This review focuses on the progress in the sphingolipid metabolic pathway with a focus on hepatic diseases and drugs targeting the sphingolipid pathway.
Subject(s)
Humans , Apoptosis , Ceramides , Metabolism , Fatty Liver , Metabolism , Liver Diseases , Metabolism , Lysophospholipids , Metabolism , Reperfusion Injury , Metabolism , Sphingolipids , Metabolism , Sphingosine , MetabolismABSTRACT
The chromatographic fingerprint of Gastrodia elata Bl. (Tianma) was developed to compare the quality of Tianma samples from different habitats and processing methods. The above analysis method was established by HPLC-DAD technique. And an HPLC method was used to analysis the contents of gastrodin (GAS) and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) in Tianma from different habitats and processed methods. Experiments of chromatographic fingerprint analysis were carried out with a Zorbax XDB C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm). The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous acetic acid in gradient elution mode. The column was maintained at 25 degrees C. Detection was set at 270 nm. The mass spectra were recorded using as ESI source in the negative mode with ion spray voltage at 3500 V, source temperature at 335 degrees C, gas spray at 8.3 kPa and gas flow rate at 9 L x min(-1). The HPLC methods of quantitative analysis were the same as those of chromatographic fingerprint analysis except the mobile phase, which consisted of acetonitrile and 0.1% aqueous acetic acid in isocratic elution mode with the ratio of 4.5 to 95.5 (v/v). Data of chromatographic fingerprint were analyzed by the "similarity evaluation system for chromatographic fingerprint of TCM (Version 2004 A)" software to compare the quality of Tianma. Samples from different habitats with the same processing method were of high similarity, though a few samples showed evident difference in fingerprint graphics. For Tianma samples with different processing methods, the contents of common peaks were different and the processing method of freezing to dry was better than others. With HPLC-MS technique, 8 major common peaks in the fingerprint of Tianma were identified by their MS spectra and comparison with the reference standards. The results of similarity analysis for chromatographic fingerprint were basically consistent with those of quantitative analysis. The established HPLC-DAD/MS methods can be used to evaluate the quality of Tianma.
Subject(s)
Benzyl Alcohols , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Gastrodia , Chemistry , Glucosides , Mass Spectrometry , Plants, Medicinal , Chemistry , Quality Control , Rhizome , ChemistryABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To develop methods for the fingerprint analysis of Rhizoma Coptidis and the determination of berberine, palmatine and jatrorrhizine in Rhizoma Coptidis, and analyze the contents of these three alkaloids in Rhizoma Coptidis under different cultivation conditions, from different areas and processed with different methods.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two methods (HPLC-UV and HPLC-MS) have been developed and used in fingerprint analysis of Rhizoma Coptidis. An HPLC method was used to determine the contents of three alkaloids.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>With HPLC-MS techniques, seven major chromatographic peaks in the fingerprint analysis of Rhizoma Coptidis were identified by their MS spectra and compared with the reference standards. In different cultivation conditions, shading conditions and growing ages have obvious influence on the contents of three alkaloids in Rhizoma Coptidis, while planting density was not the major factor that influenced the contents of three alkaloids. The contents of three alkaloids of Coptidis samples were almost higher than those of Coptidis reference material. For Coptidis samples from different cultivation area, the contents of these three alkaloids were different greatly. For Coptidis samples processed with different methods, the contents of three alkaloids were not influenced obviously by processing methods.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results showed that the ecology cultivation method to replace the traditional shading method was feasible and provided the theoretical foundation for scientifically processing Rhizoma Coptidis.</p>
Subject(s)
Berberine , Reference Standards , Berberine Alkaloids , China , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Methods , Coptis , Chemistry , Ecosystem , Plants, Medicinal , Chemistry , Quality Control , Reference Standards , Reproducibility of Results , Rhizome , Chemistry , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization , MethodsABSTRACT
<p><b>AIM</b>To establish a high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) chiral separation method for d-securinine and l-securinine, and use this method to investigate the stereoselective metabolism process of d- and l-securinine in Wistar rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The electrophoretic condition and parameters were investigated and the optimized conditions were as following: the electrophoretic medium was 40 mmol.L-1 Tris-H3PO4 buffer (pH adjusted to 6.0 with H3PO4) containing 32 mmol.L-1 HP-beta-CD as chiral selector. Determination was carried out with a UV detector at 254 nm. The separations were performed at 16 degrees C with a positive voltage of 15 kV. Samples were injected into the capillary by pressure for 6 s. The biological samples (urine, bile, plasma and feces) of rats were alkalized and extracted with ethyl acetate.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The experimental results showed that the concentration of HP-beta-CD, the concentration of the running buffer and the pH value of the buffer were the main important factors which effected the resolution. d-Securinine and l-securinine were separated at baseline level under the determination conditions. The determination was not interfered by endogenous components and metabolites. After i.p. administration, the rats excreted more d-securinine than l-securinine through bile, urine and feces. The metabolism process in rats was stereoselective.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This method is simple, reliable and suitable for studying the stereoselective metabolism of securinine in rats.</p>